Out of Character
by Nautica7mk
Summary: What would Clark Kent do if he was just normal? Lois Lane can answer that.


**Title**: Out of Character

**Author**: Nadia

**Rated**: PG-13

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing

Clark Kent is on campus shadowing a third year student at Metropolis University. During his stay, he ran into, almost literally, with Lois Lane. His best friend's cousin, whom, much to his own surprise, was becoming fast one of his own.

In the courtyard, Clark had gone over the days' schedule and sighs in exhaustion.

Lois watched closely. Since he was in the process of electing whatever school he intends to subject himself to for the next few years, Lois thought it best not to aggravate him at least until after he'd made his choice. She couldn't help but notice his solemn face, though.

She reached towards his binder and closes it.

"Hey, I was reading that!" he argued.

"Yeah but read one more word, your liable to explode"

"Applications start next week," he explained.

"Relax, Smallville. It's only college"

"Unlike you, I want to be successful"

"Being successful won't mean anything if you're not successful in your personal life." She paused. "When's the last time you even went out on a date, underage marriages notwithstanding?" She could not help herself, he's such an easy target.

"Ha ha, very funny. I was under the influence, remember," he reminded her.

"So you keep telling me"

"My track record with girls hasn't exactly been flattering"

"You don't have to explain, I've seen it"

He rolled his eyes. "What about you, when was the last time you went out on a date?"

"Well, now that you mentioned it, last night there was this guy - "

"Don't answer that"

She smiles. "You try too hard"

"Could we change the subject, please?"

She nodded, respecting his privacy, for now. "All right, then answer me this, if you could be anyone in the world, who would you be?"

He looked at her oddly. "You serious?"

She nods again, leaving no hint that she was messing with him. He thinks for a moment before answering and was surprised that Lois made no move to hurry him up.

"I guess, if anybody, I want to be normal"

"Normal?" She repeated in surprise. She half-expected a real name - a person - but a characteristic? She hadn't realized he was this insecure. His holier-that-thou attitude can be a little much, but she wasn't blind to his positive attributes. "How come?" she questioned out loud.

Clark was taken aback. He didn't realize how easily the conversation turned serious. He shrugs. "I don't know - I'm always trying to keep up with people, meet their expectations. I never really feel like I'm myself, and the only time I ever do, is when I'm with..." he stops himself quickly, averting his eyes from hers when he realized what he was about to say. He quickly covered himself "... When I'm out in a football field calling out a play, because once the game starts, the voices go away and all there is out there is me."

He could see her smile, and momentarily, he wondered why, but was relieved that she didn't notice his earlier slip. He continued to watch her, the silence between them started to become a mixture of unease and curiosity. What was she planning? He sees the grin appear on her face.

"What?" he finally spoke.

"Get your stuff, we're going to play a little game of regular Joe and Jane."

He looked at her blankly and stood up to follow her. "What?" he repeated once more.

She turned to him, stopping him abruptly in his tracks.

"Do you trust me?" she says to him.

Blinking. "Is this a trick question?"

She takes his hand. "I'll take that as a yes"

Oh no. What is she planning? She hurried him to the sidewalk, hailing a cab.

"Lois, what are we, or more importantly, you doing?"

"At this moment, I'm no longer Lois Lane and you're no longer Clark Kent"

"I'm not following," he says, confused.

"You wanted normal, I'll give you normal, but in order to do that, you'll have to put all your issues aside and just go with it"

"Oh, and that just made so much more sense," he replied sarcastically.

The cab stopped next to them. Lois rushed him inside.

The next few hours went by like fast blur. Lois took him at the most unexpected places.

The first being the bowling alley. It was the last place he could ever imagine Lois Lane hanging out in, but somehow, she could make even the most boring idea or place into something worth enjoying. And that's what happened, they were enjoying themselves. Lois teaching him the tricks of the bowling trade as Clark paid close attention, not only to her instructions, but the limit to which his strength could go. When the game ended, he felt good.

Little did he know it was going to get better.

The next place they headed off to was the waterfront. The light on the horizon illuminated over the view. It was gorgeous. And to be walking alongside it on the rocks with Lois made it all the more amazing. They talked about all things, anything. He recalled memories of growing up in Smallville, she shared stories of places she and her father have been to. It was nice... normal, like talking with each other had been the most natural thing in the world.

Then all hell broke loose...

Lois pushed him into the water. The water had been a waist deep from where she tossed him. As he stepped out only to see Lois in a large state of laughter, he lets her have her moment before picking her up and dropping her in. Besides, it was only fair.

In the water. "Whatever happened to small town propriety?"

"Like you said, we're just a couple of regular people. Lane and Kent are no where to be seen," he replied back, with a slight tease in his voice.

"Well, in that case..." She reached for his collar and pulled him to her lips. As she did so, he found himself returning it strongly. When they parted, he wished they didn't.

"Wow," he whispered to her. It was the only word he could think of at the moment.

Lois gave out a satisfied smile. "Yeah," she whispered in return. Her smile got wider before pulling him into the water with her.

"I believe that's what you call karma," she laughed.

"Oh, it's on..." he declared before the two of them started a one on one water match.

The next thing either of them knew they were in a house rinsing off the remains of sand off them.

The shower is running, hot steam is everywhere.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," he muttered as the hot water poured itself over him.

"And yet somehow, I don't hear you complaining," said a person from behind.

He looked pensively at her. He had been in many awkward situations before, but nothing like this. He was in the shower with Lois Lane, completely naked... together. And while he's a nervous wreck, she had settled in comfortably. How the hell does she do that?

"You like putting me in these situations, don't you?" he tensed slightly.

She couldn't suppress her grin, eying him up and down. "You have no idea." Clark moved in back of her, giving her space underneath the shower head.

"You're driving me crazy." He thought back to the two of them at the waterfront, and how they kissed. It came out of nowhere, but he liked it. He liked it a lot. It was unexpected but intoxicating at the same time. And now that emotional feelings are beginning to get involved, being around her is suddenly becoming overwhelming.

He watched her bathe. God, she's beautiful.

Driving him out of his thoughts. "Could you pass the soap?"

Shampoo... why couldn't it have been the shampoo? He took the soap and just as he was about to hand it to her, she spun around and hit him, knocking the soap out of his hands.

"Now look what you did, you dropped the soap," she teased.

He tried not to smile. He looked down, the view getting more and more interesting by the minute. His parents are going to kill him. He looked back up, her grin still evident on her face. She's playing hard ball.

"Never imagined myself to be in this position," he admitted nervously.

"If it makes you feel any better, I didn't exactly imagine myself here either," she added softly. She suddenly looked as nervous as he did.

"So what do we do now?" he asked, and he really did want to know.

"Well - " she started before Clark dropped his head to kiss her. Whatever will they had left before completely dissipated the moment their lips touched.

As things began heating up more than mere steam could produce, they hear a honk from the driveway. "I think." Kissing him. "This is our." Moaning. "Cue to leave," she finally finished.

"I thought you said you knew the people living here?"

"I do," she answered. Then she shrugs. "I just don't know them personally"

"Lois!"

She turns the shower off. "Read me the riot act a little later." They hurry out of the shower and clumsily got dressed.

Exiting just in the nick of time. "You do realize we were breaking and entering," he says. His mind still reeling at what almost happened. Both in and out of the bathroom.

"Entering, yes. Breaking is too strong a word there, walking is the more appropriate term here." They sneak out of view. She saw him pace nervously in front of her. "Hey, no one got hurt, all right. Live a little"

He stopped and turned. "You're unbelievable," he announced loudly.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I pride myself on that quality."

His hearing catches a police car nearby. "Come on, let's go before the cops get here," he urged.

"Please, the cops aren't..." she stopped when she heard the sirens. "Oh." She grabbed her stuff and ran, Clark trailing behind. He shook his head. She's the most stubborn woman he has ever met. If only he didn't find it so damn attractive.

After running for a few blocks, Lois stops to catch her breath.

"Whew!" she began, looking at Clark intently. "How'd you know they were coming?"

He thought of something quick. "There were intruders in their house, it stands to reason they'd call the police"

"Uh huh." She didn't sound like she believed him, but she didn't press the issue.

She stopped walking and thought for a moment.

"I've got an idea"

Clark drops his head. "That sounds dangerous"

Half an hour later, Clark walked blindfolded as Lois led him into a dark open room.

"Is this really necessary?" He complained.

"Oh stop being a baby"

"But..." he says proving her point. She playfully hits his arm. "Ow!" he pretended.

Lois stood in front of him, preparing to remove the blindfold. "Okay, you ready?"

"So long as we're not breaking any laws, I'm okay."

She chuckled. "No no, not this time, Boy scout." She quickly kisses him then removes the blindfold.

He stood still, the sight before him was amazing. "I don't know what to say," he spoke softly as he circled around the dark auditorium. It was like he was in space. He thought, whenever things got rough, he'd look out into the skies and for a second, he'd feel calm, safe even. Even if he'll always be alone, it was a place he held onto. He turned to glance at Lois... he didn't feel so lonely anymore.

"How'd you know?" he asked curiously.

She scoffs. "Oh, come on Smallville, I'm not that unobservant. Your loft is practically a fanatic's guide to space above and beyond," she quipped.

"How do I top something like this?""

"You got to stop doing that. It's annoying"

He turns to her, unsure of exactly what she was referring to. "What do you mean?"

"Not everyone has an agenda, Clark. Least of all me. I'm not here expecting you to return the favor. I did it because I wanted to." She paused. "That and I knew the guy who owns this place," she finished smiling. Clark smiles back, grateful. Lois Lane continues to completely and utterly amaze him.

Lois removes her jacket and placed it on the ground. Realizing what she was doing, Clark soon followed.

On the floor, Clark laid down on his back with Lois's head resting on his stomach as the wide expanse of the stars was visible only to them. Clark began pointing out all the various constellations he could see, while Lois followed his lead. He was surprised to notice that she was as completely enamored by the pretend-yet-realistic model of the sky just as much as he was.

Pointing at another constellation. "Now, you see that over there is the - "

"Lunar constellation," she answered.

Clark is surprised once again. "Well aren't you full of surprises"

"How else am I going to keep you on your toes," she grinned. She dug deeper into her memories. "I was maybe, nine years old when daddy first took me to this air show in San Diego. It went on practically all day and all I remembered about that was the planes in the sky, and how absolutely free they looked. That's what I see when I look up there... freedom."

"Yeah, I feel the exact same way," he agreed thoughtfully. He looked at Lois once more. "I want to kiss you," he expressed, to his surprise.

Her answer surprised him even more. "I'm not stopping you." Whatever happened to all the love/hate relationship they had going on months earlier.

"I'm afraid if I do I won't be able to stop," he admitted.

"Quite a predicament we've put ourselves in, Clark Kent."

And that's pretty much where it ended. Well, not exactly the way it sounded, but the rest of the night, they spent reflecting on the last few years. Neither, touching upon the subject of what romantically happened between them all afternoon and through most of the evening.

As he walked her to her dorm room, he couldn't help but do one more thing.

"Wait!" he says, before she had a chance to close the door.

"Clark." And then he kissed her. A kiss he made last. He knew that after tonight, he may never be able to kiss her like this again.

Reluctantly letting her go. "I had a great time. The best time."

"So did I," she says genuinely.

"See ya'around," he asked, hoping they were still friends.

"Yeah, around"

He forced a smile before leaving. Lois closed the door only to lean against it. Closing her eyes and sighing. Outside her door, Clark looked back sadly.

Leaving the dormitory was the hardest part. But he'd completely forgotten about his sadness when he heard a voice call out to him.

"Hey Smallville!"

He turned and looked up at Lois from her 3rd floor dorm room. She flashed him a beautiful smile, but it was her next words that stopped him short.

"What's so good about being normal?"

And before he could answer, she disappeared from the window.

Clark walks away with renewed hope.

**The End**


End file.
